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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

The World Should Be Interesting

I spend a lot of time thinking about the world of Greyhawk and how I want it to feel for my players and lately something I've been spending a lot of time pondering is the way that people look. You know, fashion. Which is an incredibly odd thing for a flannel shirt and overall wearing hippie like me to be concerning myself with; and yet there it is, right at the forefront of my mind. On the one hand I have this very traditionalist bent in my mind where I want the people of Dyvers (and of Greyhawk in general) to dress like they're living in the middle to late Middle Ages with pantaloons, and blouses, and lots of curly long hair like you might see on the cover of the wife's latest trashy romance novel. Then I have this side of me that says, "You've got guns, and lasers, and sexbots, son. Why the fuck do they have to wear that boring shit? Why would they?"

So then I spend a couple of hours looking at fashion sites and wondering if maybe I shouldn't set myself on fire instead as that seems like it might be a better use of my time. I mean have you spent any time looking at fashion online? Don't get me wrong, some of it's perfectly okay and there's nothing wrong with the occasional dude wearing a purse and prancing like a show pony but so often it's just ill fitting foolishness that no one can wear or hope to wear. And then I think, but wouldn't it be cool if people did?

I mean just think about if you saw a group of guys walking towards you on a dark night in a world where people can cast magic spells and shake the heavens with their anger at the gods. Men like these go from looking like a sideshow afterthought into a terrifying sight - and that's what I'm looking for in the fashion of my world. I want there to be more in the world than just a bunch of hillbillies in overalls and tee shirts working on their broken down pickup trucks. I want the world filled with a diverse style of dress that will let my players know that when they encounter someone dressed in a certain way that it means something.

Just look at this dress! If I saw someone dressed like this in my game than I would immediately assume that she was some sort of nobility or wealthy individual AND the confidence she exudes standing there! That's the sort of thing that I want in my games.

And just look at this woman here from the Chanel pre-fall 2013 collection. Tell me that if you saw this woman walking down the boardwalk that you would be surprised if she pulled out a wand and started casting spells at you. I mean the look screams out modern witch in the best way possible and she is pushing that whole narrative with that pissed off look on her face. It's just what I'm looking for in my games because it presents this whole new realm of possibilities that the old pantaloon and blouse look never did for me.

I guess what I'm saying here is that I'm looking at fashion websites for inspiration and while about two thirds of it makes me want to slit my wrists there's this last group that just is really just what I need.

This image here was one of the faction leaders in my HMS Apollyon game for a long time (until she died in a "tragic gas leak explosion" because the dice told me that's how the faction war the players started ended). Thing is I don't know if any of the players knew who she was but the poise and slightly dashing attitude of the woman in the photo informed my entire concept of the faction as a GM.

This was the source image for the mob boss that did the prior faction leader in.

I like idea that overlapping something interesting with a official "boxed setting".

Steampunk starwars (Britain=Empire Colnies=Rebels Empress is QueenVic42nd, lightsabres are mechanical quantum monoblade foils that vibrate - best ones hit in multiple quantum realities to fight old ones and time travellers, plus impossible to dodge or block with a lesser weapon

Gamma Greyhawk - greyhawk is great filler - its a medieval setting for adventurers with lots of wilderness mostly full of monsters. Spave age Ancients of blackmore could return to mystara or grehawk. Both have had gonzo sf but turn it up to ll. Gammaworld Pitz Burk becomes strange overlay with patch of greyhawk so mutant hordes, talking animals, plants and robots are everywhere, wizards with lazers. Actually that dark sun + gammawworld would fit great.

Elric in the Forgotten Realms - elric comes and kills gods and shatters planar bonds of universes creating upheavals. In someways he is freeing humanity from fear of gods and planar beings but there is a risk his conflict will destroy the Realms as gods and demons unite to stop elric. Players can try to stop elric or join him at the apocalypse.

That Chanel outfit is pretty obviously Harry Potter-inspired. The front row of the menswear group has lots of Star Wars elements -- C3PO's arms, (metal) Imperial hats, Luke's Tatooine tunic showing up in the jackets and vests...

If the fashion world wants to steal from fantasy/sci fi, then why not steal from them? Go for it, man!

Who That Talking Over Here?

I'm a blogger that talks about all my favorite hobbies - from video games, to comics, to rpgs, to poker, and everything in between. I can also throw more words on the page than a room full of crack smoking monkeys being guarded by trigger happy robots. And unlike those banana munching, tree swingers I actually make sense most of the time!